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Colorado nasal-strip inventor has big stake in Chrome's Belmont run

Co-owner Steven Coburn kisses California Chrome after the colt won the Preakness Stakes on May 17. Chrome goes for the Triple Crown on Saturday in the Belmont. (Matt Slocum, The Associated Press)

A Colorado veterinarian hopes to see a bump in business — and credibility — as California Chrome chases the Triple Crown title Saturday wearing the airflow-improving nasal strip that he helped invent.

The New York Racing Association cleared California Chrome's use of the Flair Nasal Strip during the Belmont Stakes, giving Monument veterinarian Ed Blach and business partner Jim Chiapetta a sense of vindication after years of resistance, or outright dismissal, of their product.

"I think now, with this attention, the veterinary bodies and, I think, equine enthusiasts are taking note," said Blach, who serves as chief operating officer of Twin Cities-based Flair LLC. "We really feel that there has been somewhat of a transformation in the mind-set. We've gotten calls from people who formerly weren't willing to look at the research."

California Chrome has worn the strips for every event in his six-race winning streak, including the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.But strict equipment regulations at the New York Racing Association threatened to disturb the horse's race-day mojo.

The nasal band — which sits about 1½ inches above the nostrils and weighs less than an ounce — had received approval from most horse racing regulatory bodies since it was first introduced at the Breeders' Cup in 1999. Thoroughbred racing in New York was a holdout.

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Until just after the Preakness, when Scott Palmer, the equine medical director for the New York Gaming Commission, sent a letter to racing officials, quelling the controversy about the strips with a ruling that they pose no equine health or safety risks.

"There's no evidence to show there is a direct performance enhancement," Blach said.

What the device does do, Blach said, is help ensure horses get adequate air to their lungs during the race.

Blach came up with the idea in a middle-of-the-night epiphany 17 years ago. He called his friend and fellow innovator, Chiapetta, who lives in Minnesota.

Understanding the unique anatomy of horses, the two equine vets developed the technology — similar to breathing strips used by many human athletes (and snorers) — but with some key distinctions.

Horses breathe only through their nostrils and experience some soft-tissue collapse during intense exercise. This narrowing of the nasal passage limits the airflow, and several studies show this can lead to lung stress and can cause exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage, which is bleeding in the lungs.

So keeping the architecture of the nasal cavity intact could be crucial for the horse's health during the grueling 1½ mile Belmont race, said Blach, who earned his degree at Colorado State University's vet school.

"Our objective is to keep horses healthy with the least amount of intervention," Blach said. "Our thought all along was that equine events in general should reduce lung stress. The industry should benefit from having a product that does that without drugs. It's common sense."

Horses can be treated with medications to prevent exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage.

A win would make California Chrome the 12th Triple Crown horse and the first since Affirmed in 1978.

Penny Chenery, the owner of legendary Secretariat, who claimed the Triple Crown in 1973, said she suspects the chestnut colt's trainer may be more interested in maintaining a race-day routine than in medical benefits.

"Horsemen are superstitious, and if he ran with it one time they have to run with it every time," the 92-year-old Boulder resident said. "I can't imagine they make a significant difference, but it's a part of regimen. If you do certain things for horses, then he knows it's race day. It reinforces that."

California Chrome's chance at the crown was enough to encourage Chenery to make the trip to New York.

"I had sworn off travel, but pledges are made to be broken," she said. "If there's a Triple Crown winner, I want to be there."

When asked if the use of the nasal strip will somehow tarnish the prestige of the title if California Chrome wins, Chenery said, "Oh, please!"

Flair Nasal Strips, which had a warm reception in 1999, fell out of favor with trainers after the company lost its distribution agreement with the company that also marketed Breathe Right strips for humans.

The company slimmed down and began the arduous work of rebuilding the reputation of a product that had been dismissed as a fad. Blach hopes the traction Flair has gained with racing regulators and trainers has helped it over the skeptics' hump.

"It's been very positive in the last few weeks. Our hope is that we can sustain that and continue to grow," Blach said. "We've seen a lot more interest in the science and the medical benefit."

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